Roughly 75 to 80 percent of all males in the United States are circumcised, reflecting decades when the procedure was performed on well over half of newborn boys. That overall figure is shifting, though. A Johns Hopkins study reviewing more than 1.5 million hospitalizations found that the newborn circumcision rate dropped from 54.1% in 2012 to 49.3% in 2022, marking the first time the rate fell below half.
How Newborn Rates Have Changed Over Time
National data from the CDC tracks newborn circumcision in U.S. hospitals from 1979 through 2010. Over that span, the rate declined 10% overall, from 64.5% to 58.3%. The peak was 64.9% in 1981, and the lowest point during that window was 55.4% in 2007. The pattern wasn’t a straight line: rates generally fell during the 1980s, climbed back up through the 1990s, then resumed their decline in the 2000s.
The more recent Johns Hopkins data shows that decline continuing. By 2022, fewer than half of newborn boys were circumcised during their birth hospitalization. Because the total male population includes older generations who were circumcised at much higher rates, the overall prevalence among all living males remains significantly higher than the current newborn rate.
Dramatic Differences by Region
Where a baby is born in the U.S. has an enormous effect on the likelihood of circumcision. Federal data from 2009 shows the Midwest had the highest newborn circumcision rate at 75.2%, while the West had the lowest at just 24.6%. The Northeast sat at 67.0%, and the South at 55.7%.
That means a newborn boy in the Midwest was roughly three times more likely to be circumcised than one born in the West. These gaps reflect a mix of cultural norms, immigrant population demographics, and insurance coverage policies that vary state by state.
Race and Ethnicity Play a Major Role
Circumcision rates differ sharply across racial and ethnic groups. Data published in The Journal of Urology covering 2003 to 2016 found that Black boys (68.0%) and White boys (66.0%) were the most likely to be circumcised as newborns. Hispanic boys had the lowest rate at 18.8%. Asian and Native American boys also had significantly lower rates compared to White boys.
These gaps have shifted somewhat over time. The difference between Black and White circumcision rates narrowed between 2003 and 2016. Hispanic rates, while still the lowest of any group, edged slightly upward during the same period. The growing Hispanic population in the U.S. is one factor pulling the overall national rate downward.
Medicaid Coverage Shapes the Numbers
Sixteen states do not cover newborn circumcision under Medicaid, and that policy decision has a measurable effect. Research from UCLA found that hospitals in states without Medicaid coverage had circumcision rates 24 percentage points lower than hospitals in states that do cover the procedure. The states without coverage include California, Florida, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, North Carolina, and ten others.
The researchers estimated that if every state’s Medicaid plan covered circumcision, the national rate would climb to about 62.6%. If every state dropped coverage, it would fall to roughly 38.5%. For lower-income families, the out-of-pocket cost of a procedure that isn’t covered by insurance can be the deciding factor.
Health Considerations Behind the Numbers
The medical case for circumcision is modest but real. Circumcised infant boys have about a 1 in 1,000 chance of developing a urinary tract infection in their first year, compared to about 1 in 100 for uncircumcised boys. Circumcision is also associated with a lower risk of acquiring HIV and a reduced risk of penile cancer, though penile cancer is extremely rare regardless of circumcision status.
Complications from newborn circumcision are uncommon. A large CDC-linked study covering 2001 to 2010 found the overall rate of adverse events was slightly less than half a percent. The most common issue was the need for a minor surgical revision. Serious complications were exceedingly rare, measured in single-digit cases per million procedures.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has stated that the health benefits of newborn circumcision outweigh the risks, but not by enough to recommend the procedure universally. The organization considers it a decision best left to parents, shaped by their own cultural, religious, and personal preferences.
Why the Rate Keeps Falling
Several forces are converging to push newborn circumcision rates below 50%. The growing share of Hispanic families in the U.S. population brings cultural norms where circumcision is far less common. Medicaid restrictions in populous states like California and Florida remove financial access for many families. And shifting attitudes among younger parents, who are more likely to view the procedure as optional, add another layer of decline.
The result is a country in transition. The majority of adult men in the U.S. are circumcised, but among boys born today, it’s essentially a coin flip, with geography, ethnicity, and insurance status tipping the odds in one direction or the other.